2 Beyond 2015: towards a comprehensive
and inte-grated approach to financing poverty eradication and
sustainable development
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12434/13
COM(13) 531
(35255)
12440/13
+ ADDs 1-3
SWD(13) 273
| Commission Communication: Beyond 2015 — towards a comprehensive and integrated approach to financing poverty eradication and sustainable development
Commission Staff Working Paper: EU Accountability Report 2013 on Financing for Development. Review of progress by the EU and its Member States: accompanying the Communication
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| Legal base | —
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| Departments |
International Development;
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs;
Energy and Climate Change
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| Basis of consideration
| Ministers' letter dated 21 November 2013
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| Previous Committee Report
| HC 83-xiv (2013-14), chapter 7 (11 September 2013); also see (34747) 7075/13: HC 83-xiv (2013-14), chapter 4 (11 September 2013)
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| Discussion in Council
| 12 December 2013 |
| Committee's assessment
| Politically important
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| Committee's decision
| For debate in European Committee B (with the Commission Communication already recommended for debate)
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Background
2.1 An earlier Commission Communication — A
decent life for all: ending poverty and giving the world a sustainable
future — set
out the Commission's view on the international post-2015 development
agenda: ending poverty and ensuring that future prosperity and
well-being are sustainable. It brings together the debate about
what international framework should succeed the MDGs[3]
and the process to establish new Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) arising from the Rio+20 conference — where government
leaders agreed that the new SDGs should be coherent and integrated
with the post-2015 development agenda. It proposes that the EU
work towards a single overarching framework and integration of
the MDG review and SDG process. It sets out five "priority
elements" for that single framework — meeting basic
living standards, promoting drivers for inclusive and sustainable
growth, ensuring sustainable management of natural resources,
upholding equality, equity and justice, and peace and security
— and a set of guiding principles.
2.2 The Commission envisaged that this Communication
would be followed by a debate with the Council and the European
Parliament during the spring of 2013 that would ensure a comprehensive
follow up to Rio+20; guide the EU position at the UN Open Working
Group on the SDGs, which would report regularly to the UNGA; and
contribute to the preparation of a UN General Assembly Special
Event on the MDGs in September 2013, including the report of the
Secretary-General and the UN High Level Panel on post-2015 (which
is co-chaired by the Prime Minister and his counterparts from
Indonesia and Liberia).
2.3 The Ministers concerned (Lynne Featherstone and
Richard Benyon) subsequently told the Committee that the Conclusions
adopted by the 25 June General Affairs Council (GAC) on that Communication
provided "a high level structure to guide the interventions
of Member States within the various processes taking forward Rio+20
outcomes and the post-2015 development agenda, including the UN
special event in September" and allow the UK "to engage
openly and constructively in these processes, including the intergovernmental
UN Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals, in which
we are working in partnership with the Netherlands and Australia."
2.4 We recommended that that Commission Communication
be debated in the European Committee B after the UN Special Event,
to enable interested Members to hear from, and question, the Ministers
about its outcome.[4]
The Commission Communication
2.5 This Commission Communication, and its accompanying
Commission Staff Working Paper, sets out the EU Commission's perspectives
on financing the post-2015 development framework.
2.6 The Communication begins with an analysis of
the current and future financing for development landscapes and
looks at how the sources of financing for developing countries
are changing. It also acknowledges the processes to mobilise
resources in other areas including climate change and biodiversity
with a view to framing a coherent position. It then sets-out
some guiding principles for a comprehensive EU approach to post-2015
development financing. It was commented upon fully in our previous
Report by the Ministers concerned (Lynne Featherstone, Richard
Benyon and Gregory Barker).[5]
2.7 The Ministers said that the Communication was
broadly in-line with established Government positions; provided
a very good analytical basis; and laid the groundwork well for
more specific policy development. That the Communication was developed
jointly by the Commission's Directorates for Development, Environment
and Climate was important, given the need for a post-2015 development
agenda that integrated the financing for development and sustainable
development agendas. The Ministers also welcomed the recognition
given to the role of the Global Partnership for Effective Development
Co-operation (GPEDC)[6]
and to the importance — and growing relevance — of
private sector and domestic financial contributions, as well as
new and innovative sources of finance. The "Principles"
section usefully highlighted key elements that could form the
basis of a future EU approach to financing for development; in
particular, the recognition that all countries, including Upper
Middle Income Countries, should contribute their fair share and
shoulder more responsibility; that accountability lies in the
first instance between a government and its people; and of the
need to modernise the ODA definition.[7]
Our assessment
2.8 "Priority elements" and "guiding
principles" for the post-2015 development agenda were all
well and good; but it is the financing dimensions that would
determine the extent to which they were realised. The Council
Conclusions to be adopted in December would thus be of particular
importance. We therefore asked the Ministers:
- to write to us about the outcome of the process
of discussion and consultation about the Council Conclusions that
they outlined above; and
- to do so in sufficient time before the Council
at which they were to be adopted for a prior debate to be arranged.
2.9 In the meantime, we:
- retained this Commission Communication under
scrutiny;
- drew that chapter of our Report to the attention
of the International Development Committee; and
- considered that chapter of our Report should
form part of the document pack for the debate on the earlier Commission
Communication, A decent life for all: ending poverty and giving
the world a sustainable future.[8]
The Ministers' letter of 21
November 2013
2.10 In their letter, the Ministers now concerned
(Lynne Featherstone, Gregory Barker and Dan Rogerson) say that,
whilst the Conclusions are still under negotiation in Brussels,
and further amendments may be negotiated in the coming days, there
is now broad agreement on the main elements. They attach the
latest draft of the Conclusions (which are reproduced at the annex
to this chapter of our Report), and comment as follows:
"We
believe the current draft of the Conclusions reflects cross-government
priorities well; including perspectives on financing for development
beyond 2015. The Conclusions describe a rightfully ambitious
and principled EU approach to development financing and include
a re-affirmation of the EU target to spend 0.7% of GNI on Official
Development Assistance (ODA). Importantly, there is a strong focus
in the Conclusions on both poverty eradication and the need to
target ODA at the poorest countries.
"The
Conclusions also stress that financing should be looked at through
a wide lens going beyond ODA to include all financial flows, such
as those from private and domestic sources as well as those that
are 'innovative' in nature. The Conclusions also recognise the
need for coherence with other financing discussions such as those
on climate change and biodiversity.
"The Presidency intends
to table these Conclusions for adoption at the EU Development
Foreign Affairs Council on 12 December, at which Justine Greening,
Secretary of State for International Development will represent
the UK. We hope that, at this stage and given the tight timeframe,
this response provides enough information for your Committee to
give scrutiny clearance to allow discussions to move ahead freely.
"We hope that the Committee
will agree that this Conclusion represents a good outcome for
the UK, especially given the diversity of views on development
financing amongst EU Member States."
Conclusion
2.11 It is disappointing that, for no apparent
reason, the Government has chosen not to debate the earlier Commission
Communication sooner than 11 December — the day before the
Council at which these Conclusions are to be adopted.
2.12 We have no choice, therefore, other than
to recommend that this Communication be debated jointly with that
earlier Communication in European Committee B on 11 December.
2.13 We are also drawing this chapter of our Report
to the attention of the International Development Committee.
3 The eight goals UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
that, in 2000, the UN set itself to achieve, most by 2015: eradicate
extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education;
promote gender equality; reduce child mortality; improve maternal
health; combat HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental
sustainability; develop a partnership for development - each with
associated targets and benchmarks to measure progress. Back
4
See headnote: (34747) 7075/13: HC 83-xiv (2013-14), chapter
7 (11 September 2013). Back
5
See HC 83-xiv (2013-14), chapter 7 (11 September 2013). Back
6
According to its website, the Global Partnership helps nations,
business and organizations work better together to end poverty:
it brings governments, private companies, civil society and others
together to ensure funding, time and knowledge produce maximum
impact for development. See for http://effectivecooperation.org/
full information. Back
7
See our previous Report for full details. Back
8
See headnote: HC 83-xiv (2013-14), chapter 4 (11 September 2013). Back
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